Critics responded favourably to the carefully done historical setting.
The supporting characters were played by Naseeruddin Shah, Farooq Shaikh, Raj Babbar and Bharat Bhushan. But the box office returns were just average. Rekha was praised for her acting, and she was awarded the National Award for her portrayal of the central character.
She elopes with him, but is forced to return to Lucknow after Ali is killed by local police. Umrao then becomes infatuated with bandit chieftain Faiz Ali, who woos and wins her heart. Umrao catches the eye of Nawab Sultan and the two fall in love, but the relationship comes to an end when Nawab reveals he must marry in order to please his family. Renamed Umrao Jaan, Amiran turns into a cultured woman trained to captivate men of wealth and taste. In the year 1840, a girl named Amiran is kidnapped from her family in Faizabad and sold to Khanum Jaan, the madam of a brothel in Lucknow who teaches young courtesans.